The current US Environmental Protection Agency guidelines under the Federal Insecticides, Fungicides and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), all antimicrobial products are required to demonstrate efficacy against organisms listed on a product label. The methodologies for determining efficacy are organism and use specific. One such test is the AOAC Use Dilution Test (UDT) of 2012. In the Use Dilution Test, efficiency against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) (test method 964.02), Salmonella enterica (Se) (test method 955.14) and Staphylococcus aureus (Sa) (test method 955.15), each test method incorporated herein by reference, are required for products which are sold as hospital level disinfectants. Generally, these products are sold as concentrates and are diluted by the end user prior to use.
To pass the Use Dilution Test for hospital-strength disinfection, the current requirement as of the filing date of this application, requires no more than one positive tube growth out of sixty (60) test tubes. In addition, there must be three distinct and separate batches of the composition tested. Each organism is tested in same manner. Current standards require that the biocidal products must meet a 10 minute contact time. However, new standards are currently being considered for adoption which will probably require contact times less than 10 minutes.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for quat based disinfecting compositions and dilatable concentrates which will pass a UDT with a contact time of less than 10 minutes. The present invention provides an answer to that need. The inventors have discovered a quat based disinfecting composition that will meet or exceed a 5 minute contact time.